Tunable near-infrared and visible-light transmittance in nanocrystal-in-glass composites.

Title	Tunable near-infrared and visible-light transmittance in nanocrystal-in-glass composites.
Authors	Anna Llordes, Guillermo Garcia-Garcia, Jaume Gázquez, Delia Milliron
Magazine	Nature
Date	08/15/2013
DOI	10.1038/nature12398
Introduction	Amorphous metal oxides are integral to optical, electronic, and electrochemical devices, with their structural bonding arrangements defining their properties. Controlling these structures remains challenging. We introduce a method for incorporating covalently bonded nanocrystals into amorphous materials, merging two functional components and allowing structural manipulation to alter properties. This study showcases this method by integrating tin-doped indium oxide nanocrystals into niobium oxide glass, forming a novel amorphous structure with unique optical switching capabilities. This enables dynamic solar radiation transmittance control through windows. These films can independently block near-infrared and visible light with electrochemical voltage adjustments over a 2.5-volt range. The enhanced NbOx glass exhibits improved optical contrast and retains 96% charge capacity after 2,000 cycles, demonstrating excellent electrochemical stability.
Quote	Anna Llordés, Guillermo Garcia and Jaume Gazquez et al. Tunable near-infrared and visible-light transmittance in nanocrystal-in-glass composites. Nature. 2013. DOI: 10.1038/nature12398
Element	Indium (In) , Tin (Sn) , Niobium (Nb)
Materials	Oxides , Nanocomposites
Topics	Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials , Photonic and Optoelectronic Materials
Industry	Optics , Solar Energy